Reality TV and suicide intertwine once again

Reality stars we've lost – Ahmad Givens, best known as "Real" from the VH1 dating series "Real Chance of Love," died after battling colon cancer, the network said Saturday.

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Reality stars we've lost – Actor and fitness expert Greg Plitt died on January 17 after being hit by a train, police said. The 37-year-old retired U.S. Army Ranger Captain was known for his roles on Bravo reality television shows "Work Out" and "Friends to Lovers," the latter of which debuted a few days before his death.

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Reality stars we've lost – "Biggest Loser" contestant Damien Gurganious died on November 24 from an inoperable brain bleed caused by the sudden onset of a rare autoimmune disorder, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), his wife Nicole Gurganious said in a public Facebook post. Gurganious was 38.

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Reality stars we've lost – Ryan Knight, who was part of the 2010 cast of MTV's "Real World New Orleans," has died, according to police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Police say that after the 28-year-old went out with friends on Thanksgiving, he was sleeping on the floor when someone noticed he was not breathing.

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Reality stars we've lost – MTV reality star Diem Brown died Friday, November 14, after a long battle with cancer. She was 32.

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Reality stars we've lost – Singer and model Joanne Borgella, an "American Idol" contestant in 2008, died Saturday, October 18, after a battle with cancer, according to her family. She was 32.

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Reality stars we've lost – Simone Battle, an "X Factor" finalist and member of the group G.R.L., was found dead Friday, September 5, in a Los Angeles home, a coroner's spokesman said. She was 25.

Reality stars we've lost – Former "Survivor" contestant Caleb Bankston died while working on a coal train near Birmingham, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, a railway official confirmed to CNN. Bankston, a 27-year-old train conductor, was a contestant on "Survivor: Blood vs. Water" last year, along with his fiance, Colton Cumbie, according to the CBS show's website.

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Reality stars we've lost – Eric Hill, who was a contestant in the 2014 season of "The Bachelorette," died in April from injuries suffered in a paragliding accident. Hill is seen here in a photo taken from his Facebook page. He was 31.

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Reality stars we've lost – "MasterChef" runner-up Joshua Marks was in "the battle of his life fighting mental illness" when he killed himself in October 2013, his family said. He was 26.

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Reality stars we've lost – Gia Allemand, who appeared on Season 14 of ABC's "The Bachelor," died in August 2013, two days after an apparent suicide attempt, a statement released on behalf of her family said. She was 29.

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Reality stars we've lost – Shain Gandee of MTV's "Buckwild" was found dead in April 2013 in Kanawha County, West Virginia, authorities said. The body of Gandee, 21, was discovered in a vehicle along with the bodies of his uncle, David Dwight Gandee, 48, and Donald Robert Myers, 27. It was later reported that the cause of death was accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

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Reality stars we've lost – Joey Kovar, a cast member of "The Real World: Hollywood," died of a suspected drug overdose in August 2012. He was 29. Kovar also appeared on the third season of "Celebrity Rehab."

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Reality stars we've lost – "Swamp People" star Mitchell Guist, right, died in Louisiana in May 2012. The 47-year-old was working to build a houseboat when he appeared to have a seizure and fell backward in his boat, said Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack. Another person, who did not want to be identified, performed CPR and called 911.

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Reality stars we've lost – Russell Armstrong, left, hanged himself in August 2011 while appearing on Bravo's "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." The series featured his estranged wife, Taylor, grappling with the aftermath of his suicide.

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Reality stars we've lost – "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn was drunk and speeding up to 140 mph when his 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 crashed and caught fire on a Pennsylvania highway in June 2011, police said. The 34-year-old died from "blunt and thermal trauma" in the fiery crash, according to the autopsy report.

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Reality stars we've lost – New Jersey restaurant owner Joseph Cerniglia, who appeared on the first season of "Kitchen Nightmares," jumped from a bridge into New York's Hudson River in September 2010. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. He was 39.

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Reality stars we've lost – Capt. Phil Harris of "Deadliest Catch" died in February 2010 at the age of 53. The reality star was hospitalized after he suffered a stroke.

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Reality stars we've lost – Jennifer Lyon, who appeared on "Survivor: Palau" in 2005, died at her home in Oregon in January 2010. The 37-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer after her stint on the reality show.

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Reality stars we've lost – Frankie Abernathy was a cast member on "The Real World: San Diego," which aired on MTV in 2004. Abernathy, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive track, was 25 when she died in June 2007.

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Reality stars we've lost – Rachel Brown, a 2006 contestant on "Hell's Kitchen," was found dead of a gunshot wound in her Dallas home in May 2007. The Tarrant County medical examiner's office said Brown's death was ruled a suicide.

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Reality stars we've lost – In "The Real World: San Francisco," cast member Pedro Zamora shared his struggle with HIV/AIDS. After Zamora, 22, died in November 1994, President Bill Clinton said the Cuban-born reality star "changed the face of HIV and AIDS in America forever."

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Story highlights

The suicide of "MasterChef" runner-up is the latest involving reality TV

In September 2010, a former contestant on "Kitchen Nightmares" killed himself

Blogger says she worries reality show contestants aren't prepared for downside of fame

Expert says many factors cause suicide, and show appearance could be "final straw"

Which came first, the troubles or the fame?

After the suicide of a former contestant on Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares," the spotlight shined bright on the issues of reality TV stars.

New Jersey restaurant owner Joseph Cerniglia plunged into New York's Hudson River in September 2010, and the New York City medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. Cerniglia had appeared on the first season of the Fox reality show hosted by famed chef Ramsay.

At the time the episode was taped in 2007, Cerniglia was facing financial issues stemming from his then-struggling restaurant. Ramsay offered advice on how to turn his business around, telling the chef, "Your business is about to f**king swim down the Hudson."

Ramsay released a statement following Cerniglia's death.

"I was fortunate to spend time with Joe during the first season of 'Kitchen Nightmares,' " Ramsay said. "Joe was a brilliant chef, and our thoughts go out to his family, friends and staff."

Cerniglia's death once again raised the specter of suicide in connection with reality television.

"I absolutely don't feel that everyone who appears on a reality show is a damaged person," said Sharon Waxman, founder of entertainment site The Wrap, which in 2009 examined the suicides of 11 people connected to reality shows. "I'm just saying that there's probably a higher percentage than in the normal population who are attracted to that and who might have some vulnerabilities that will be exploited by being on television."

There have been several cases, including Najai Turpin, a boxer who killed himself in 2005 after participating in the reality show "The Contender," hosted by Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard.

In 2008, a one-time "American Idol" auditioner, Paula Goodspeed, was found dead of an overdose near the home of one of the show's judges, Paula Abdul. Abdul later said that Goodspeed had been obsessed with her for several years and that she had begged producers not to allow Goodspeed to audition.

The Fox network declined to comment on Goodspeed's death, but former "Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe told People magazine he had no recollection of Abdul requesting that Goodspeed not be allowed on the show.

Rachel Brown, a 2006 contestant on "Hell's Kitchen," which is also hosted by Ramsay, was found dead of a gunshot wound in her Dallas home in 2007. A representative of the Tarrant County medical examiner's office confirmed to CNN that Brown's death was ruled a suicide.

Princess Banton-Lofters is a development producer who has worked on casting several reality shows, including "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." She said she has seen the process morph over the years.

"I know that when I am casting, I am looking for that person who is going to shine," Banton-Lofters said. "That could be shining in personality, shining in lifestyle or shining in just their story. But I think it's definitely changed in that (casting professionals) are probably now looking for a little bit more of the crazy."

But with so many people these days pursing the limelight via reality shows, is the number of troubled contestants just an expected statistic?

Celebrity and fame expert Cooper Lawrence said that may be, though she pointed to a 2006 study authored by Dr. Drew Pinsky (host of HLN's Dr. Drew On Call" and former VH1 reality shows "Celebrity Rehab" and "Sober House") and S. Mark Young as evidence that reality television attracts a specific type of personality.

In the study, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, celebrities including television stars, comedians, musicians and reality stars were given the Narcissistic Personality Inventory.

"The numbers for the reality stars were off the charts," Lawrence said. "It makes sense, because you are not an actor playing a role, you're not a musician hiding behind a guitar, you're you. The level of narcissism for reality stars is documented and goes well beyond the normal population."

And while narcissism isn't an indicator for suicide, Cooper said it can be an indicator of a troubled person who lacks the stability to deal with the dark side of notoriety. "Reality television has provided an outlet for narcissistic individuals, many with limited abilities, to believe that they can succeed in the entertainment industry," the study said. "This desire to enter the industry may be fueled by the types of fantasy feelings of success, power and glory that narcissists seem to exhibit."

Dr. Paula Clayton, who in 2010 was medical director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said that there is no data that definitively link reality television with an increased probability of suicide but that a mental disorder like narcissism could make a person more prone to taking his own life.

"Ninety percent of people who kill themselves have a mental disorder when they kill themselves, the most common one being depression," she said. "There are all of these background factors that are the most important, and these reality shows and whatever happens might be the final straw."

The Wrap's Waxman said their series on reality show suicides sought to examine whether the sometimes brutal nature of appearing on reality shows with all that entails, including public scrutiny, was a cause or whether such shows simply attract troubled individuals.

Waxman said the debate rages on.

"I think the experts will tell you that both are factors," she said. "To some degree, there are people who are needy in some way who are looking for fame for some particular reason to fill some need that they have which makes them particularly vulnerable."

"But also the experience of being on television exposed in that way and often seeing themselves on television being 'Franken-edited' or what they call 'Franken-bytes,' where they edit a sequence together just to heighten the drama of every scene, is sometimes really mortifying for people, and they're really not prepared for that."

Blogger Kath Skerry, who runs GiveMeMyRemote.com, said she worries that those who are focused on the fame that reality TV brings may not be mentally or emotionally prepared for the downside.

"If you fail on reality TV, you're failing in a very big way," she said. "In a way that is seen by millions and millions of people, and to have that level of vulnerability exposed can raise the dramatic stakes of your situation."